This webinar presented research from the Center for Transit-Oriented Development analyzing the potential of TOD to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Planning scenarios for four regions were examined to contrast the GHG reduction potential of compact urban development near transit stations vs. business as usual development. Also, Mike McKeever of Sacramento Area Council of Governments and Tina Hodges at the Federal Transit Administration shared their experience on GHG reduction through transportation and land use planning.

Reconnecting America has joined the ClimatePlan partnership. The partnership includes dozens of California organizations dedicated to addressing land use, transportation and climate change in California. Our network represents a broad spectrum of interests, ranging from public health advocates to farmland preservationists, and we all are dedicated to smart land use policies and creating a sustainable future for Californians.

Transportation for America expressed support for key provisions of the Kerry-Lieberman American Power Act as a major endorsement of clean transportation options to spur energy independence and climate protection. Transportation for America, the largest, most diverse coalition working on transportation reform, was co-founded by Reconnecting America and Smartgrowth America.

Sam Zimbabwe, director of the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, and Catherine Cox Blair, program director, will talk about strategies for advancing livability and sustainability in the regional context at a Federal Transit Adminstration sponsored Brown Bag Session at 12:15 p.m. Feb. 4 at the New Partners conference in Seattle.

In June 2009, the Obama Administration announced a new interagency partnership on sustainable communities between the Department of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency. An early action by the Partnership was to announce a set of Livability Principles to guide future federal investments, policy development, and programs. These include:

The United States needs to link transportation and climate change policies if it hopes to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions enough to ward off the worst impacts of global climate change, according to a new study by the Center for Clean Air Policy.

hifting from a highway-centered federal transportation focus to one centered around transit is explored in a U.S.PIRG document. The specific greenhouse gas savings from using transit is explored in another document. Finally, the national numbers behind greenhouse gases are explored in a FTA presentation.

Three new additions to the Best Practices section here assessing the costs of alternative development paths in Australian Cities, the question of spatial development and energy consumption and regional sustainable mobility in Los Angeles.

In honor of Earth Day and in partnership with Cinema Libre Studio and Grapeflix, Reconnecting America would like to invite you to view David M. Edwards' powerful new documentary, Sprawling From Grace: The Consequences of Suburbanization, online for free! The film features former President Bill Clinton, former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, Reconnecting America CEO Shelley Poticha, Dena Belzer of Strategic Economics, our partner in the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, and many other leaders on the issues of suburban sprawl and the need for better public transportation, centralized planning and renewable energy.